


Going Underground

by Luka



Category: Primeval
Genre: First Time, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-17
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2020-09-08 02:35:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20283280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luka/pseuds/Luka
Summary: Nick makes some shattering discoveries while Stephen is fighting for his life.





	Going Underground

"Here it is … We've got it …" Nick thrust the container of venom at the doctor. He was wheezing badly and it felt like his lungs were going to explode.

The doctor grabbed it from him and headed off at speed down the corridor. Nick went to follow her, but found his way blocked by a young nurse.

"You'll just be in the way, Professor Cutter. Come and sit down and have a cup of tea and get your breath back. They'll let you know soon enough how the operation goes. There's nothing else you can do for the time being."

Nick nodded and followed her through to a slightly shabby room filled with mismatched chairs. 

"Is there anyone you'd like us to phone? What about Stephen's parents?"

"They're in New Zealand, so there's no point in contacting them." Nick knew they hadn’t bothered with their son for the past ten or so years, so there was no reason to expect they’d start now.

"Who's his next of kin?"

"I don't know. I'll check for you."

The nurse nodded. "Why don't you wait here, and the moment we have some news, we'll come and tell you."

Nick took a sip of the tea the nurse had handed him, and immediately set it down. He rummaged through his jacket pockets and pulled out his mobile phone.

Lester answered almost immediately. "Cutter. How is he?"

"They're operating now. And they want to know who his next of kin is."

"None given on his paperwork," said Lester.

"In that case, I want you to square it that I'm his next of kin."

There was a brief pause, then Lester said: "Very well. Ring me when you have more news."

Nick must have slept, because the next thing he knew, the young nurse was gently shaking his shoulder. "Professor Cutter. Stephen's out of the operating theatre."

"Is he OK?"

"He's in intensive care. The doctor says the next 24 hours will be vital."

"I'd like to talk to the doctor, please. I'm Stephen's next of kin now."

"Are you and he …?" She blushed.

_No, but I'd like it if we were, thought Nick. _But he said: "No. I'm his boss."

"OK. Come with me, please."

Stephen was barely recognisable beneath a mass of tubes and drips. Hesitantly Nick reached out and touched the back of his hand just next to where a needle disappeared into a vein. "Stephen, can you hear me?" he whispered. There was no response.

"Professor Cutter?"

"Yes." Nick straightened up and stared at the tired woman who stood beside him.

"I'm Dr Mehta. I understand you wanted to speak to me."

"That's right. I'm Stephen's next of kin. Can you tell me what the prognosis is now?"

She hesitated. "Not with any certainty. He was unconscious a long time before we got the antidote into him. The next 24 hours will be vital."

"So if he wakes up, he might be brain-damaged?"

"We don't know. Why don't you go home and get some rest, and come back in the morning?"

"I want to stay with him."

"No point. You'll just be in the way. The nursing staff will phone you if there's any change. And you won't be any good to Stephen if you collapse with exhaustion. You look like you could do with a shower as well."

Nick was too tired to argue. He realised he must look a sight, with dirt from the Underground smeared all over him. He’d tried to clean the worst off in the toilets near the waiting room, but had only succeeded in making it worse. All he remembered later was phoning for a cab, staggering through the front door of his house, having a cursory shower and then falling asleep on top of the duvet.

~*~*~*

He was at the hospital by 9am the next morning. It looked like Stephen hadn't moved. His hair was clumped and dirty, and his skin glistened with sweat. And Nick knew he'd hate for anyone to see him like that. So one of the nurses brought him a bowl of warm water, some soap and a flannel, and Nick gently ran the cloth over Stephen's face, arms and chest, doing his best to avoid the dressing and all the tubes.

He lost track of time over the course of the day as medical staff bustled in and out to check up on Stephen. Claudia popped in mid-morning on her way to a meeting with Lester. Then Abby and Connor turned up at lunchtime and said they’d sit with Stephen while Nick got some food. He was going to refuse, but Abby fixed him with a hard stare, told him not to be such a martyr, and escorted him from the room.

When he returned 45 minutes later, he thought for a moment that he was in the wrong room. A woman was sitting by the bed, obscuring the occupant. As Nick moved into the room, he could see that she was holding Stephen's hand.

"Oh, I'm sorry …" Nick was taken aback.

The woman turned round and smiled at him. She was mid-20s and striking rather than pretty, with strong features and hair cut in a sensible crop. "You must be Nick."

"That's right. I don't think we've met …"

"No, but I've heard a lot about you. I'm Alison. Abby and Connor got a phone call and had to leave, so I said I’d stay ‘til you came back."

"Oh … Hello. Nice to meet you." At the back of his mind he vaguely remembered Stephen mentioning a girlfriend called Alison. But Nick was sure they'd broken up ages ago. "How did you …?"

"I phoned his work number, and was put through to some rather vague woman. I eventually ascertained he was in hospital, and rang around a few places before I tracked him down."

"You'll have spoken to Dopey Daisy. She's always like that …" Nick wasn't quite sure what to say.

"She certainly sounded like she'd missed out on charm school."

Nick smiled and pulled the other chair over. "Weren't you working abroad?" He hoped he'd got the right person.

"That's right. VSO in Africa and then a project in South America on infectious diseases. I'm back for a couple of weeks, as my grandmother died last week."

"I'm sorry …"

"Thank you. I thought I'd look Stephen up for a drink. I didn't expect this. The nurse was very vague when I asked her what was going on."

"He got bitten and they've had problems finding the anti-venom."

"How long's he been unconscious?"

"Nearly 24 hours."

She grimaced and Nick said quickly: "It's nice of you to visit Stephen."

Alison smiled. "I do miss him. We were totally unsuited, but he's a good guy and we've kept in touch. I suppose you and he …?"

Nick frowned. "He and I …?"

"Are an item at last?"

Nick knew he'd flushed scarlet. Christ, was it that obvious? And what the hell had Stephen said?

Alison noticed his embarrassment and touched his arm. "I'm sorry … It's none of my business."

"It's OK … No, we're …"

"But you'd like to? You know he worships you?"

"I … I don't know … He …" Nick really didn’t know what to say.

Alison smiled kindly. “Typical men. I think you two need to have a proper talk when Stephen’s better.”

There was a weak cough from the bed and a hoarse voice said: “What do we need to talk about?”

Both Nick and Alison burst out laughing. And Nick wondered how someone who was a delicate shade of grey could look so sexy. 

~*~*~*

Nick unlocked the front door to Stephen’s flat. It smelled faintly musty, and he threw some windows open and evicted half a pint of sour milk and some mouldy salad from the fridge. He'd been there countless times to watch football, as Stephen had a wide-screen TV. Nick didn't really watch much TV. But he enjoyed stretching out on Stephen’s sofa, dipping into a takeaway with a can of beer in easy reach, and taking the piss out of the players and the ref. 

Stephen wasn’t one for hoarding belongings, and the flat lacked the lived-in scruffiness of Nick’s own home. He hadn’t bothered putting up pictures or displaying photos on shelves, but he had an impressive collection of DVDs and CDs next to the television and always had his iPod close at hand. Nick spotted it on the shelf and reached for it. He assumed the book on the table was Stephen’s current reading matter, and put it with the iPod. As he did so, the bookmark slipped out of it and fell to the floor. Nick stooped to pick it up and found himself looking at a dog-eared photo.

He recognised it immediately – it was from a field trip to the Orkneys, although he’d no idea who’d taken it. He and Stephen were standing with their arms around each other’s shoulders, smiling at the camera. Both of them looked carefree and relaxed. Nick ran his thumb across the surface of the photo, noting that the gloss appeared to have been rubbed off it, as if Stephen’s long fingers had traced their way over it many times.

Nick closed his eyes briefly. He was tired and hadn’t had a proper meal for some days, but he couldn’t ignore the fact that Alison was right – he and Stephen did need to have a conversation.

He grabbed Stephen’s overnight bag from the top of the wardrobe and started collecting some comfy clothes. The doctors seemed pleased with his progress, but were being evasive about when he could go home. Stephen had been allowed out of bed that morning, and had complained bitterly about the too-short hospital gown revealing everything he had. Nick had noticed, amused, that the nurses seemed to be enjoying the show …

~*~*~*

“Cutter, it doesn’t need you sitting at the patient’s bedside all the time,” said Lester briskly. “He’s no longer at death’s door, and you owe me at least two reports. And I’ve also had that Dean chap of yours on the phone.”

“My condolences.”

“Yes, well, is he just a half-wit on the phone?”

“He’s a world expert in his field …”

“Then I worry for the British education system. Anyway, I can’t spend time swapping pleasantries with either you or Dean Half-wit, so I shall expect you at the Home Office at 9am tomorrow.”

Nick was about to argue, but decided not to push his luck. Lester had been surprisingly co-operative about letting him spend time at the hospital. He did have a pile of paperwork to catch up with, and he knew there’d be students wanting to see him. The Dean knew Stephen was out of action, and had said querulously that it was a good job it wasn’t in term time, as it was so inconvenient when staff were off ill.

~*~*~*

Nick put the phone down and stared into space. Apparently Stephen was doing fine, but no, they couldn’t say yet when he’d be allowed home.

He rubbed his tired eyes. His email inbox had gone super-nova in just over a week and he’d finally battled it down from 300 to 30, mainly by deleting anything that wasn’t flagged as urgent. He glanced at his watch. It was nearly noon, and he’d had nothing to eat that morning, the idea of breakfast turning his stomach. But he was hungry now, and he longed for a mug of fresh coffee.

Connor was attacking a sausage sandwich with some enthusiasm when Nick sat down opposite him in the refectory.

“Hello, Professor …” 

“Hello, Connor. How are you doing?”

“I’m fine, thanks. Abby’s collecting me in half an hour and we’re going to see Stephen. I’ve got my portable DVD player for him to borrow, and all the Star Wars disks …”

“I’m sure he’ll appreciate that,” said Nick dryly. 

There was silence as Connor beat the sandwich into submission and then downed most of a can of Coke, belching delicately behind his gloved hand. Nick picked at a cheese and tomato roll.

“Um, Professor, can I ask you something …?”

“Sure?”

“IsStephengay?” Connor had flushed the same colour as his scarf.

“Pardon?”

“IsStephengay? I mean, I think Abby likes him, but well, we didn’t know if he was, you know …”

“Connor, you’re not making much sense …”

“We. Thought. Stephen. Might. Be. Gay,” whispered Connor, still flushed scarlet.

“Oh.”

“Is he …? I mean, it doesn’t matter if he is, but we wondered …”

“Connor, I have no idea.”

“Oh, OK, you won’t tell Stephen, will you?”

Nick smiled. “Of course not.” And he only felt faintly guilty about having crossed his fingers behind his back.

~*~*~*

Stephen was sitting up in bed reading. He looked better than he'd done for ages, ironically – his skin was clear and he seemed well-rested. 

Nick sat down beside him. "You're looking perky."

"I feel fine, thanks." Stephen set the book aside and Nick noticed, amused, that it was the palaeontology textbook he’d brought in and not any of the best-sellers that Ryan and the lads had sent. He wondered if Stephen ever relaxed and read novels. "The doctor said I can go home tomorrow."

"That's excellent news. I've made up the spare room, so you can come and stay with me 'til you're recovered."

"Nick, I'll be fine …"

"You're staying with me," said Nick firmly, and felt unaccountably pleased when Stephen smiled at him.

“Thank you. I don’t want to be in your way … I should be fine in a few days …”

“We’ll see …” 

"Um, Nick … Do you have any idea what I said to Abby in the ambulance?"

"None at all. Why?"

“I’ve had this really odd conversation with her. She and Connor came visiting a bit earlier …” He gestured to the pile of DVDs next to his bed.

“Connor said they were …”

“It was very odd. She sent Connor off to get some coffee, then cross-examined me about what I could remember. And when I said that I couldn’t remember anything, she got a bit huffy.”

“Probably misunderstood your delirious babblings …”

“Maybe …”

There was a silence, then Stephen said: “Connor said you risked your life for me.”

Nick shrugged, embarrassed. “You did the same for me.”

“I didn’t stick my arm in the arthropleura’s mouth to get it to bite me … And I hear you’ve been here virtually all the time …”

Nick nodded. “They shooed me off home sometimes.”

“Good. And one of the nurses said you … you washed me …”

“Yes. You looked like you’d got most of the Underground still on you!”

“Thank you. I’d kill for a bath,” said Stephen wistfully.

“We’ll see what we can do tomorrow when we get you home …” Nick hoped his cheeks weren’t too flushed as he suddenly pictured a naked and wet Stephen in his bath.

~*~*~*

“Cutter, stop arguing. You know damn well the meeting’s been fixed for weeks. Surely you can send either Daphne or Scrappy to escort the invalid home?”

“But …”

“I’m sure the Home Office could even spring for a taxi in the circumstances …”

“Forget it, Lester, I’ll make other arrangements.” Cutter slammed the phone down and cursed luridly. He thought for a moment, then rooted in his pocket for his mobile phone. Thank heavens he’d saved the number. He pressed dial and waited for a minute or so.

“Alison? It’s Nick Cutter. I wonder if I can ask a favour of you …”

~*~*~*

It was gone 6pm by the time Nick got home. Home Office meetings were even worse than university ones, and that was saying something. But it had been almost worth it to see Captain Ryan’s formidable CO Major Preston reduce Lester to silence with some pithy phrases when the civil servant had been unwise enough to offer his own suggestions on how the military side of things could be run.

Stephen was sitting on the sofa and Alison on a pile of cushions on the floor. They were engrossed in a game of chess and Nick stood in the doorway for a few moments, watching them. He felt a sharp pang in his chest – they looked good together, Stephen smiling as Alison dithered over a move. Maybe Nick was just being stupid and misreading the signals.

Alison saw him first. “Hello, Nick. How was the meeting?”

“Dire.”

“In that case, shall I make a fresh pot of tea? The kettle’s not long boiled. Stephen showed me where everything is.”

“That’d be great,” said Nick mechanically. He perched on the other end of the sofa, unable to take his eyes off Stephen. His hair was rumpled and he had on a brown low-necked sweater that displayed his long neck, dark chest hair and the dressing on the wound. And suddenly Nick wanted to reach out and touch the exposed skin.

Stephen seemed to pick up on Nick’s confusion and smiled quizzically. Nick smiled back and said: “Are you hungry?”

Stephen nodded.

“Pizza? Indian? Chinese?”

“Pizza, please.”

“OK. Oh, thanks, Alison. I’m just finding out what Stephen fancies to eat, and then I’m going to order a takeaway. You’ll stay for pizza, won’t you?”

“Thanks for the offer, Nick, but I’ve promised to nip over to a friend’s tonight.”

“Thank you very much for bringing Stephen home.”

“Not a problem.” Alison drained her mug of tea and picked up her shoulder bag. “Give me a ring if you need me to fetch and carry him anywhere else …”

“Thanks.”

Alison kissed the top of Stephen’s head, then shook hands with Nick. “Take care of yourselves.” And, as Nick saw her to the door, she said in a low voice: “You two need to talk.”

“But …”

“Now, Nick. I think you’ll find you’re pushing at an open door. Goodbye.”

Nick stood in the hallway, staring blindly at a particularly ugly painting that Helen’s mad aunt had given them as a wedding present. To play for time he picked up the phone and ordered two pizzas, garlic bread and ice cream. Then he took a deep breath and went back into the living room.

Stephen was tidying the chess set away. He looked up at Nick and said: “I’m sorry … I can go in the morning …”

“You’re staying here until you’re better. So why would you need to go in the morning?”

“Alison … She …” Stephen flushed pink and looked away.

“Said that we should stop pussyfooting and tell each other what our true feelings are?”

Stephen nodded dumbly.

“Do you want to do that?”

“Not if it means I lose your friendship …”

“But what happens if it means you gain my love?”

For a second there was a flare of hope, then Stephen’s face fell. “Nick, don’t joke about it, I couldn’t bear it …”

“I’m not joking. I don’t joke about things like that. You should now that by now.”

Stephen nodded. He was sitting upright, his arms wrapped around himself in a classic defensive posture. “Then tell me the truth, Nick. Please don’t string me along. If Alison’s right …”

“She is,” said Nick firmly. “I’ve fancied you from the first day I met you. But I don’t approve of staff sleeping with students …”

“But I’m not your student. I haven’t been for nearly five years …”

“I know. I just … I don’t know …”

“And I have to tell you that I slept with Helen,” said Stephen flatly. 

“I know.”

“You knew? You never said …” Stephen’s voice was strained. “I’m sorry for what I did. It happened twice, and I hated it both times. But she insinuated that she’d mark down my work if I didn’t. I know I should have reported her, but I didn’t think anyone would believe me. You … You were in America at the time, and she told me that you didn’t understand her and that the marriage was dying anyway … When you came back and it patently wasn’t true, I hated her …”

“Stephen, Helen’s affairs were well-known around the department. You weren’t the first and you certainly weren’t the last as well. In many ways it was a good thing she disappeared when she did, because the university was going to have to stop turning a blind eye to what she did.”

“You’re going to think I’m mad, but I thought she was there with me, in the tunnel …”

“Are you sure?”

“Not positive. I might have dreamed it … I dunno, my head was so scrambled … Maybe I imagined it …”

Nick frowned. “If she was there, she left you to die.”

“I don’t know. I can’t remember anything clearly enough after I was bitten …”

“You’ve got me wondering now. I’m pretty sure I saw her standing under a streetlight outside the department not long after we tangled with the gorgonopsid.”

“What?”

“And there was this strange ammonite on my desk …”

“And you think Helen left it there?”

“Who else could it be? You know she always had a thing about them.”

Stephen nodded. “What are we going to do?”

“Nothing, for the moment. We wait to see what she wants. But I’ll tell you now that it won’t make any difference to you and me.” Nick reached out and entwined his fingers with Stephen’s. “We’ve got a chance to make a fresh start and to see if we can build a relationship. Do you want to try?”

“Of course I do! I want it more than anything …”

“Good.” Nick leaned forward and kissed Stephen gently on the lips. “Right, that sounds like the pizza. Once you’ve eaten, you’re going to bed.”

For once Stephen didn’t argue. Instead, he grasped Nick’s hand and briefly pressed it to his lips. “Thank you,” he said gravely.

~*~*~*

When Nick awoke the next morning, sunlight was filtering through the thin curtains that he’d never got around to replacing. And he was suddenly aware of a body next to him in the bed – when Stephen had headed for the spare room the previous night, Nick had gently steered him towards his own bedroom. Stephen had smiled and touched Nick’s cheek, but said nothing.

Stephen was lying on his back, staring at the ceiling. He managed a half-smile for Nick.

Nick leaned over and kissed his forehead. “OK?”

Stephen nodded.

“Breakfast?”

“I … I don’t mind.” Stephen’s barriers seemed to have gone back up, and it reminded Nick of how difficult he could be to get to know, with his silent, remote manner. And he prayed that Stephen wasn’t having second thoughts about a relationship. 

“I’ll sort out some coffee and toast. And would you like that bath you were going to kill for? We should be able to rig something up to keep the dressing dry.”

“Yes please.”

“OK. I’ll start running it and give you a shout when it’s ready.”

“Shall I sort out the breakfast?”

“Nope. You know you’ve got to take it steady for a few days, so stay where you are.”

Nick went into the bathroom and set the bath running. He found the tail end of a bottle of Radox in the cupboard, and tipped that in, wrinkling his nose at the strong herbal smell. But it was supposed to be good for easing aches and pains … 

Once the bath was full and steaming, Nick went back to the bedroom, where Stephen was sitting on the side of the bed.

“OK?”

“Yeah … Just a bit dizzy when I went to stand up.”

“Not surprised. Here, hang on to me …”

A half-naked Stephen with his arm around Nick’s waist was almost too much to bear, and Nick knew he was blushing, as his arousal must be all too obvious through his thin boxer shorts. He tried to suppress it with thoughts of Lester and Connor having sex, but it wasn’t having much effect.

Stephen perched on the edge of the bath while Nick taped a carrier bag over the dressing. 

“You should be on Blue Peter …” said Stephen as Nick then helped him into the water.

Nick laughed, trying not to stare at Stephen’s now naked body stretched out in the bath, his left arm dangling over the side. “I had a teenage crush on Valerie Singleton …”

“Guilty secrets at this time in the morning?” Stephen was smiling.

“Come on, you must have had embarrassing crushes as well …”

“Only on this sexy red-haired Scottish professor … And that one doesn’t count as embarrassing.”

“Oh, Stephen …” Nick leaned over and kissed him. “Look, we’re going to have to do a lot of talking over the next few days. I want this to work, but we need to be honest with each other.”

“How do you mean?” Stephen had pulled back slightly, and Nick’s immediate thought was that he was thinking of Helen.

"Tell me for a start what were you trying to prove down in that tunnel?" Nick stroked Stephen's hair.

"Nothing."

"Please, tell me the truth."

"I … I thought you … I couldn't bear the thought of losing you."

“I want you to promise me you won’t put yourself in danger again doing crazy things like that. It’s why we’ve got Captain Ryan and his men. They’re trained to protect us.”

“I know … I’m sorry.”

“Good. Now, would you like me to wash your hair for you?”

“Yes please!’

The sight of Stephen with his head tipped back, eyes closed, and absurdly long lashes resting on his lightly flushed cheeks did nothing for Nick’s self-control. He took his time massaging the shampoo in, rinsed every scrap out, then applied more shampoo, just to prolong the situation.

When he’d finished, he towelled Stephen’s hair dry, and couldn’t resist running his fingers through it so it stood up in spikes.

“Thank you, that feels so much better … Now let me take care of you …” Stephen was staring at the bulge in Nick’s shorts.

“Stephen, you can’t …”

“Why not? What I’ve got in mind won’t be strenuous.”

“So what have you got in mind?” Nick knew his voice was hoarse.

“Please, Nick, I want your cock in my mouth.”

“Are you sure? I mean, you don’t have to …”

“I want to.” And Stephen flicked his fingers across the bulge in Nick’s shorts. Gently he peeled them down and slicked a damp hand up and down the hard cock. 

Nick groaned, as it sent shivers through his body.

“Come here …” Stephen hooked Nick nearer, running his tongue up and down the shaft and licking Nick’s balls.

“Oh god, Stephen!” Nick shuddered as a warm mouth engulfed his cock. He stroked Stephen’s spiky hair, almost coming on the spot as Stephen looked up at him, his blue eyes wide and his mouth stretched by Nick’s bulk. 

Stephen let it slip from his mouth, just the tip of Nick’s cock resting on his tongue. Then, without warning, he swallowed it almost to the balls. Nick cried out and came, almost toppling into the bath.

When he opened his eyes again, Stephen was lying back in the bath, licking his lips. Nick’s first thought was of next-door’s smug and sleek cat.

“Stephen, Christ, that was out of this world …”

“Good.”

“Did you …? I mean, shall I …?”

Stephen laughed. “It’s OK, all that moaning you were doing made me come. But I wouldn’t say no to you doing it to me later …”

“Hey, you’re supposed to be recuperating!”

“A blow job won’t kill me. Unless you don’t want to …”

“I do,” said Nick firmly.

“And when I’m better, you can fuck me. I’ve fantasised about me face down on your bed with your cock up my arse.”

Nick burst out laughing at the matter-of-fact way Stephen said it. “I can see you won’t be shy about asking for what you want!”

“Nope.”

“Come on, get out of that bath before you turn into a prune.” Nick grabbed a warm towel from the radiator, wrapped it around Stephen, then set about gently drying every inch of his body. And he noticed that Stephen was hard again. “God, you randy little devil …”

Stephen laughed and as usual it transformed his whole face. “Can’t help it when you’re around!”

Nick dropped to his knees, letting his tongue linger over every inch of Stephen’s cock. He slicked his hand up and down it a few times and laughed as Stephen closed his eyes and moaned. “Does that feel good?”

“Bloody amazing,” croaked Stephen, opening one eye. “Oh yeah, just there!”

Nick grinned and squeezed Stephen’s balls again, before taking the stiff cock in his mouth. He’d only done this once or twice before years ago, playing around with mates at uni when he was drunk. But he reckoned it was like riding a bike – you never forgot what a turn-on it was for the other bloke to have his prick down your throat and for clever hands to apply just the right amount of pressure … And Stephen came as Nick fondled his balls, gasping out Nick’s name as he did so.

“Fuck …” Stephen was swaying slightly and breathing heavily.

“Later … Hey, are you OK?” Nick slid his arm around Stephen’s waist.

Stephen grinned cheekily: “A bit more than OK!”

“Good! You had me worried there for a moment. Now, we’ll have some breakfast and you can stretch out on the sofa …”

“I’ll be bored by lunchtime!” Stephen’s cheeks were endearingly flushed, and he leaned forward to kiss Nick.

“Plenty of books for you to read and DVDs for you to watch. And I’ll tell Lester that I’m working at home if he wants me.”

“Are we going to tell the others about us?”

“I’ve got nothing to hide, but it’s up to you.”

Stephen kissed him. “I’m not ashamed …”

“Good. We needn’t make a song and dance about it, but if the subject arises, so be it. We’re going to be so bloody good together, Stephen!”

And he could see that Stephen was starting to believe him.


End file.
